Description

Ruling out Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) is common in the emergency department. As there is a high mortality rate with ruptured AAA, it is a medical urgency to exclude a AAA. Ultrasound may be used rapidly to rule out a AAA and affect management decisions such as sending the patient for further testing such as CT. In the shocked patient, transport to CT is a major undertaking. Point of care ultrasound (PoCUS) enables easier risk stratification of a patient to safely direct their care. 

After a machine familiarisation session and sono-anatomy lesson, you will be taught how to acquire a set of scans that adequately rule out a large AAA. The abdominal ultrasound course will include ultrasound machine optimisation including tips and traps and anatomy familiarisation on real patient models. Throughout the day you will practice the skill on patients and learn what to do for the more challenging body habitus. By the end of the day you should be able to scan, identify and interpret a set of scans to support your clinical decision.

Although acquisition of a diagnostically adequate scan set is the first necessary competency along the path to mastery, it is not expected that you will become an expert in a day. This one-day course is about learning what you don’t know, what you need to know and what you need to practice safely.